Page 18 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

She heard footsteps, the scrape of a chair, and then the door swung open. KT stood there, his presence filling the doorway like always—solid, familiar and still somehow enough to catch her breath.

“You could’ve just walked in,” he said, smiling like she was exactly who he’d been hoping to see.

A small twist pulled at her chest. Of course he meant it. KT had folded her into his world so easily, so gently, that sometimes it felt like she’d always been meant to fit right there beside him.

Over his shoulder, Braxton rose from the couch, lemonade in hand.

She hadn’t noticed last night, but now she noted that he looked much the same as she remembered—same sharp jawline, same intelligent eyes.

But where KT had the quiet steadiness of someone who’d fought to stand on his own, Braxton carried a careful watchfulness. Like he was still calibrating the room.

“Braxton.” Lolo smiled as she stepped inside. “It’s good to see you again. Did you survive your grandma’s house?”

“Barely,” Braxton said, expression dry. “She had a to-do list for me that was longer than the Old Testament.”

KT closed the door behind her. “He tried to escape. She caught him at the driveway.”

“She said I was her tech support for the weekend,” Braxton added. “I should’ve brought my laptop.”

Lolo laughed. “Well, you’re safe now.”

She turned to KT, who stood beside her like an anchor she hadn’t realized she’d needed all day. “KT invited me to stop by, but I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to say hi.”

“Don’t go unless you’ve got somewhere better to be.” KT’s arm slid around her shoulders, his tone low and warm. “I want you and Braxton to catch up.”

Braxton tilted his head, considering her. Then he smiled—genuine, easy. “I’d like that.”

The knot in Lolo’s stomach loosened.

KT looked between them. “Anyone else starving?”

“I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Braxton admitted.

KT raised a brow. “Same.”

Lolo gave him a look. “You’ve been home all day and didn’t eat?”

“I got caught up painting.” He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish.

“Typical,” Braxton muttered. “Even as a kid, he’d forget to eat once he got in the zone.”

“Sounds like we’re all overdue for something to eat.” Lolo’s tone was dry.

KT laughed. “We’ve got leftovers. Cobbler and lasagna.”

Lolo gestured toward the kitchen. “And KT’s very exclusive bag of Good Hope Market lettuce.”

Braxton blinked. “You mean…salad?”

“Fancy salad,” KT said with mock seriousness. “With croutons.”

Braxton leaned back with a grin. “You’re spoiling me.”

“You haven’t seen dessert,” Lolo added. “Cherry cobbler. I baked it. With cherries from Cherry Acres.”

“Ice cream?” Braxton asked.

“Of course,” she and KT said in unison.

The brothers exchanged a look.

“You’ve turned domestic,” Braxton said, half amused, half impressed.

“I’ve turned smart,” KT replied. “I know a good thing when it walks in the door holding dessert.”

Lolo shook her head, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Want me to heat everything up?” she offered.

“We’ll do it together.” KT moved past her into the kitchen. “It’s faster. She makes a mean salad, using the lettuce bag as her canvas,” he added with mock reverence.

Lolo smirked. “At least I don’t put the salad dressing on with a palette knife.”

Behind them, Braxton chuckled. “Okay, I like this dynamic.”

KT tossed Lolo a sideways glance, hand brushing the small of her back. “Me, too.”

Braxton raised both brows. “Noted.”

As the three of them moved around the kitchen—plates stacking, oven preheating, laughter bubbling—Lolo felt it again. That quiet, anchoring warmth. The steady gravity of something real forming, bit by bit, in the shared rhythm of ordinary things.

She caught KT’s eye over the counter and smiled. And just like that, the night stopped feeling like an interruption .

It started to feel like something they’d all remember.

The night had cooled, the last hints of summer warmth lingering in the breeze as KT walked beside Lolo down the narrow path lined with pine needles and moonlight.

Dinner had been easy, full of laughter and shared stories. Watching her fit so effortlessly into the rhythm of his world had done something to him—something he wasn’t ready to name, but felt just beneath his ribs.

“Your brother’s great,” she said, brushing against him as their steps fell in sync.

“He is,” KT agreed. “Too smart for his own good, and he knows it.”

She smiled, and for a moment, they walked in companionable silence.

“I wasn’t sure about coming over tonight,” she admitted quietly.

“I’m really glad you did.” He looked over at her, the soft glow from her porch light catching the curve of her cheek. “It wouldn’t have felt right without you.”

They reached her steps. She paused, her fingers trailing lightly along the railing.

“Thanks for walking me.”

KT stepped closer, his hand brushing her back. “Thanks for staying.”

Her breath caught, and she turned to face him. They stood like that, close but not quite touching, something bright and tentative flickering between them.

“I like this,” she said softly. “Whatever this is.”

He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Me, too.”

Then he leaned in—slow, careful—and kissed her. A soft, lingering kiss that deepened when her hand found his chest, fingers curling slightly in the fabric of his shirt.

“Would you like to come in?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He hesitated, not because he didn’t want to, but because he wanted it too much.

“I would,” he said, his voice low, rough around the edges. “But Braxton’s back at the cabin.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed her face, then softened into something quieter. More tender.

“Well,” she murmured, “we don’t want to rush.”

“Definitely not.” His smile held both promise and restraint. “Good night, Lolo.”

“Good night, KT.”

She watched him walk away, the distance between them growing only in steps, not in feeling.

When she finally slipped inside, her lips still tingled with the memory of his kiss.